Manufactured as a functional toy by JW Speare & SonsChild's toy - Knitting Nancy by J.W. Speare & Sons - in its original box.KNITTING NANCY WITH IMPROVED STAPLES. knitting nancy, j w spears & sons, functional toys

The Kew Historical Society’s collection includes a wide range of leisure objects. Many of the items are European-made, generally of British origin, however there are a number that were made for the Australian market by Australian manufacturers. There were clearly a huge range of toys produced for the Australian and International children’s market in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. The examples of toys in the collection include examples of alphabet toys, arcade toys, baby toys, construction toys, dolls, doll accessories, educational toys, soft toys, tin toys, toy animals, toy blocks, toy machines, toy typewriters, etc. Miniature kitchen stove, cooking utensils and implements. Made of metal and enamel. Orange and black. Eight pieces.miniature toys, toy kitchen equipment, functional toys

Object. Rectangular school slate contained within wooden frame. Wooden frame has rounded edges held together by five metal hand made nails which have caused the timber to split. Unreadable writing on a long side and a short side of the wooden edging. Looks like 'Macy Ackla'. Other unreadable writing.toys, general, slate, slate

Possibly toy dairy equipmenttoys, general

Collection of Margaret ScarlettBrown pla tic toy pipetoys, general

Collection of Margaret ScarlettSmall celluloid doll. Curly hair with pink shoes and pink 'pants'. Blue eyes and red lips.toys, dolls

From the Margaret Scarlett CollectionGreen & pink floral cotton mattress with five wool buttons on front & back.toys, doll's furniture

Margaret Scarlett CollectionPink, with blue and yellow flowers. White bowstoys, doll's furniture

Donated by Margaret ScarlettPink cotton baby,s blanket. Two panels of white checked borders of white. Pink cotton blanket stitch around the edgeGaydexmanchester, bedding, toys, dolls' accessories

Donated by Margaret ScarlettWhite cotton pillow slip. 'Baby' embroidered in white on left hand corner with green flowers on stem. Spoke stitched and crocheted on edges.toys, dolls' accessories

Metal green painted toy mobile artillery gun. Missing shaft for mobile towing.Pat. No. 641319/Britains Ltd./Englandtoys, general

Unpainted metal ship. Possibly battleship. Crude depiction.toys, general

Model Rolls Royce Silver Wraith originally painted black. Wheels missing. Perspex windows.150/Dinky toys/Rolls Royce Silver Wraith/Made in England/Meccano Ltd.toys, general

Cylinder containing thin sticks. Painted top and bottom with different colours. 1 black, 5 blue, 12 green 13 yellow, 5 red - 36 sticks. Instructions in cylinder.Fiddlesticks, fascinating new game/ by Tru-pla/21 Pier Street, Sydney/Complete instructions inside.toys, general

Made on synthetic material with black body, red seats and red mudguards and running board. Silver grille. Big black rubber tyres. No roof - known as roadster.'Boss'/Made in Hong Kongtoys, general

White painted set of BP Pumps on stand.Accessory Pack No 1/Made in England/By Lesneytoys, general

Red cylinder for crayons. (although cylinder says 12 crayons, cylinder contains 14 coloured pencils)Non-injurious/Premier Students' Crayons/12 crayons for school drawing/Made In Germanytoys, general

Silver metal truck with green windowsPat. App./Mercedes/Matchbox Series Toys/Scaffolding truck/Made in England/1969/Lesney Products Co. Ltd.toys, general

Yellow painted metal truck.Lesney/Englandtoys, general

Orange painted metal toy earth mover with tractor in front and large swivelled container attached.toys, general

White painted dolls' pram. Cane basket on top of metal frame and wheels. Wooden handle. Blanket and pillows in basket - floral patterns toy, doll's pram, pram, doll

Cream painted wood and cane doll's pram with metal axles and wheels. One side of pram has netting.toy, doll's pram, doll, children

‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ was an exhibition that toured to 10 Australian and 11 New Zealand public galleries in 1979 and 1980. The touring exhibition comprised 221 objects of traditional Japanese packaging which extended from ceramics, wood and paper to woven fibre containers. At the conclusion of the tour, The Japan Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council donated the vast majority of the exhibition to the Ararat Gallery for its permanent collection. Combining the natural qualities of bamboo, paper and straw with delicate craftsmanship, these unique objects express Japanese aesthetics as applied through fibre crafts. In Japan, the qualities and traits of natural materials are exploited rather than hidden. The texture of straw, the septa of bamboo are not concealed but lovingly incorporated into the whole. In 1979 Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’ wrote: “In no way self-conscious or assertive, these wrappings have an artless and obedient air that greatly moves the modern viewer. They are whispered evidence of the Japanese ability to create beauty from the simplest products of nature. They also teach us that wisdom and feeling are especially important in packaging because these qualities, or the lack of them, are almost immediately apparent. What is the use of a package if it shows no feeling?” The descriptions of the featured objects were written by Hideyuki Oka, curator of ‘The Art of the Japanese Package’, 1979.Gift of the Japan-Australia Foundation and the Crafts Board of the Australia Council, 1981This toy is a product of Tottori City, and its only connection with traditional packaging is that it copies the mats used to close the straw bales in which rice is packed for the market. It is interesting, nevertheless, for its clever use of such a cheap and common material, and there is no denying its charm. The two dolls, made of paper and wood, represent the emperor and empress who occupy the chief places in the traditional Doll Festival display. - Professor Hideyuki Oka, curator.japanese art, japanese packaging, tsutsumi, gift giving

Yellow moulded rubber soft or flexile toy Rhino with words "Look Listen, be alert around trams / Yarra Trams" on one side and "A tram weighs as much as 30 Rhinos". On the underside has a grey button when pushed makes the sound of an "electronic tram" gong - twice. Two copies held.trams, tramways, yarra trams, safety, rhinos